Across the country, NLC alumni are winning big for their communities. That’s where progress begins: locally. That is where change is sparked, where that fire is fed, and set aflame.
And while the privilege-to-power-pipeline is not easy to break, NLC alumni run for office to fight for their seat at the table. They are a new kind of leader: one who centers equity, builds trust, and reflects the communities they serve. They are on the frontlines of change. They are local leaders who know what our communities need and how to lead in this moment.
While our country faces a rise of extremist leaders who roll back our rights and restrict our bodies, NLC is the answer. We are a leadership pipeline that works. We connect and uplift the next generation ready to lead. We are the bench for the next candidates, organizers, and advocate. Because of NLC’s training and network, our alumni have the grit and the skills to run and win.
This year, we are proud to celebrate nearly 70 wins and counting.
Did we miss an NLC alumni who won their race? Whether it’s for local school board, state office, or a federal seat, we want to honor every alumni who ran in 2022. Send us a message: [email protected].
Aerion Abney (NLC Pittsburgh ‘15) Pennsylvania State House District 19
Alex Joers (NLC Wisconsin ‘18) Wisconsin State Assembly District 79 Allison Nutting-Wong (NLC Local Advisory Council Member) New Hampshire House District 9Dr. Austin Baeth (NLC Des Moines ‘18) Iowa State House District 36
Austin Vowels (NLC Kentucky ’13) Henderson KY City Commission
Christopher Blount (NLC Detroit ‘15) Michigan 3rd Circuit CourtClare Oumou Verbeten (NLC Twin Cities ‘17) Minnesota State Senate District 66Davante Lewis (NLC Louisiana ‘20) Louisiana Public Service CommissionerDavid Bander (NLC New Jersey’13) Plainsboro, New Jersey CouncilDevin Murphy (NLC San Francisco ‘17) Pinole CA MayorDianne Hesselbein (NLC Local Advisory Council Member) Wisconsin State Senate District 27Diego Bernal (NLC Local Advisory Council Member) Texas State House District 123Dontavius Jarrells (NLC Columbus ‘17) Ohio State House District 1Ellen Kamei (NLC Silicon Valley ‘12) Mountain View, CA City CouncilEllen Read (NLC Local Advisory Council Member) New Hampshire State House District 10Emily Kinkead (NLC Pittsburgh ‘18) Pennsylvania State House District 20 Emma Kerr-Carpenter (NLC Montana ‘17) Montana State House District 49Fiona Ma (NLC Local Advisory Council Member) California State TreasurerHeather Matson (NLC Local Advisory Council Member) Iowa State House District 38 Irene Fernando (NLC Local Advisory Council Member) Hennepin County MN Commissioner District 2James Diossa (NLC Rhode Island ‘12) Rhode Island General TreasurerJamie Long (NLC Washington DC ‘12) Minnesota State House District 61BJanani Ramachandran (NLC Oakland ‘21) Oakland CA City CouncilJennifer Bacon (NLC Local Advisory Council Member) Colorado State House District 7Jervonte Edmonds (NLC Palm Beach ‘15) Florida State House District 88Jheanelle Wilkins (NLC Washington DC ‘15) Maryland State House District 20Jimmy Anderson (NLC Local Advisory Council Member) Wisconsin State House District 47Josie Raymond (NLC Kentucky ‘17) Kentucky State House District 31Justin Slaughter (NLC Chicago ‘15) Illinois State House District 27 Karen Alzate (NLC Rhode Island ‘16) Rhode Island State House District 60Katie Sullivan (NLC Montana ‘16) Montana State House District 89Katrina Shankland (NLC Local Advisory Council Member) Wisconsin State Assembly District 71Kelly Kortum (NLC Montana ‘18) Montana State House District 65Kimberly Kaplan (NLC Pittsburgh ‘20) Wilkinsburg PA Home Rule CommissionLaura Bozzi (NLC Rhode Island ‘16) Cold Springs Rhode Island Board of Trustees
Lauren Underwood (NLC Washington DC ‘14) U.S. Congress, IL-14Lindsay James (NLC Wisconsin ‘16) Iowa State House District 71Lisa Clancy (NLC St. Louis ‘19) St. Louis County MO Council Liz Hanbidge (NLC Philadelphia ‘17) Pennsylvania House of RepresentativesLiz Lee (NLC Washington DC ‘20) Minnesota House District 67ALondon Lamar (NLC Nashville ‘15) Tennessee State Senate District 33Lori Saroya (NLC Twin Cities ‘21) Blaine City MN Council Ward 1 SELucas Ramirez (NLC Silicon Valley ‘13) Mayor of Mountain View CAMarc Berman (NLC Local Advisory Council Member) California State Assembly District 23Mark Spreitzer (NLC Local Advisory Council Member) Wisconsin State Senate District 15Matt Haney (NLC San Francisco ‘09) California State Assembly Member District 17Dr. Megan Srinivas (NLC Des Moines ‘18) Iowa State House District 30
Mike Bare (NLC Wisconsin Chapter Founder) Wisconsin State Assembly District 80Mike Fong (NLC Local Advisory Council Member) Los Angeles Community College District MemberMorgan McGarvey (NLC Local Advisory Council) U.S. Congress, KY-3Nikema Williams (NLC Atlanta ‘13) U.S. Congress, GA-5Petra Gaskins (NLC New Jersey ‘16) New Brunswick NJ City CouncilRoberto Moreno (NLC Rhode Island ‘19) Pawtucket, RI City CouncilRoyce Duplessis (NLC Louisiana ‘14) Louisiana State Senate District 5Samantha Sencer-Mura (NLC Twin Cities ‘18) Minnesota State House District 63ASandra Cano (NLC Rhode Island ‘14) Rhode Island State Senate District 8Sean Hassan (NLC Silicon Valley ‘12) Austin Community College Trustee, Place 4Sergio Granados (NLC New Jersey ‘15) Union County, NJ FreeholderSeth Bradley (NLC Arkansas ‘21) City Council of Russellville AR
Stathis Theodoropoulos (NLC New Jersey ‘15) Kearny NJ Municipal Council Ward 4Tatiana Baena (NLC Rhode Island ‘15) Central Falls RI City CouncilTerry Brown Jr. (NLC North Carolina ‘16) North Carolina State House District 92Tiffanie Harrison (NLC Austin ’20) RRISD TX School Board Place 6Tip McGuire (NLC Wisconsin ‘17) Wisconsin State Assembly DIstrict 64Tram Nguyen (NLC Boston ‘18) Massachusetts State House District 18 Essex AVernon Tillage (NLC Virginia ‘19) Portsmouth VA City CouncilVincent Dixie (NLC Nashville ‘15) Tennessee State House District 54
We’d like to thank each and every NLC alumni who ran. Win or lose, you had the courage to disrupt the status quo and fight for your values. Your grit and love for your community makes NLC incredibly proud. And your willingness to run and serve gives us and other alumni the motivation to continue pouring into this movement for progress. You set an example of what a new kind of leader can be and lay the groundwork for a brighter future for all of us. Thank you.
So what’s next?
Movements for social and political change don’t end on Election Day.
We know that our country can’t rely on one leader, one knight in shining armor, one hero, to save us. Rather, NLC develops a network of local leaders who, together, can and will make long term change in our country. Our training goes beyond one weekend, but rather provides six-month, no-cost training in both the skillsets and mindsets needed to make progress permament.
The next generation of NLC Fellows, our 2023 class, will be equipped with the mindsets and skillsets to go toe-to-toe with harmful leaders at the ballot box. These Fellows are the ones who will be running in 2024 and beyond. And with NLC’s training, they’ll be ready to win.